Are you wondering whether it's worthwhile investing in a restaurant audit?
Businesses of all kinds can benefit from an audit from time to time, and while at first, the word 'audit' may not bring to mind positive connotations, it really can help raise your business standards.
If you still need some convincing, read ahead to find out why investing in a restaurant audit is worth your while.
What Is an Audit?
When you own a business, especially in the food industry, it's important to maintain safety standards.
Food safety is of utmost importance and an audit is an inspection of your methods and workplace to ensure food safety standards are being met to earn certification.
Why Is a Restaurant Audit Worth Your Time?
A happy workplace means a quality work environment. An audit is a way of seeing where your business is at.
A Chance To Improve
An audit should be seen as an opportunity to enhance and work on problem areas. There's always something that could do with improvement, whether it's your service, your menu, or your management system.
Food Hygiene and Disease Prevention
It is estimated that each year, 600 million people -- or 1 in 10 -- worldwide get ill from food poisoning of some sort. Of that number, 420,000 people a year die.
This is primarily caused by unspecified bacterial agents and known pathogens such as:
- Salmonella
- Staphylococcus
- Listeria
- Norovirus
Reports of food poisoning linked to your business can leave your restaurant's reputation in tatters. It can take years, and a hefty dose of smart marketing to get customer loyalty back to a healthy place once trust has been broken.
Most food poisoning cases are the cause of poor food handling practices. An audit will help you examine and revise these and improve your hygiene methods to prevent you from putting your diners at risk.
Everything from temperatures, storage, and cleaning practices will be scrutinized. No stone is left unturned.
Enhance The Customer Experience
Customer service is key to any business.
With only 4 out of 100 businesses surviving through to the 10-year mark, this 96 percent failure rate means it's more important than ever you invest in good customer service to elongate your restaurant's lifespan.
Getting an audit can help you determine how best to improve your customer satisfaction and service reviews. An audit may also help you establish whether or not you need a customer experience manager.
You may consider revisiting training practices for your front of house staff, as they truly are the face of your business, being the first people your diners see.
Employee Engagement
An audit isn't an excuse to point fingers, but an opportunity to take responsibility for your business' weak points and areas where improvement is needed.
This is a great chance for employee engagement, too. Get honest feedback from the people most familiar with how your business works, and create a dialogue with your staff.
It's important they feel valued, and you strive to improve employee relationships for workplace harmony. A harmonious, motivated workforce will provide better service and be great ambassadors for your restaurant's brand.
Have you ever had an audit before, or are you still considering it? Leave a comment down below to share your thoughts.
For more information about assessment tools and solutions for your business, contact us today!
